Boulder woman killed in weekend car accident on I-70 near Eagle

Husband: Nova Arjana, 41, 'just had an open heart for everybody'

By Mitchell Byars and Joe Rubino, Camera Staff Writers

Posted:
11/21/2012 09:34:54 AM MST

Updated:
11/21/2012 09:44:01 PM MST

Bayu and Nova Arjana (Facebook photo)

A 41-year-old Boulder woman died, three others were injured and the victim's husband was cited after the car they were traveling in rolled off Interstate 70 near Eagle on Saturday, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

At about 3 p.m. Saturday, a gray Volvo carrying all four people was driving west on I-70 when it drove off the left side of the road into the center median and rolled onto its roof, State Patrol Trooper Nate Reid said.

The female passenger, Nova Arjana, was transported to Vail Valley Medical Center, were she died from her injuries.

A male passenger, Haris Ichwan, 40, of Bellevue, Wash., was taken to Vail Valley Medical Center and then airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

The driver, Bayu Arjana, 37, the victim's husband, suffered moderate injuries and was treated at Vail Valley Medical Center. The couple's 8-year-old son was in the car but suffered only minor injuries.

All four people were wearing seatbelts, and drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the crash, according to Reid.

Bayu Arjana, who was cited for careless driving after the accident, on Wednesday recounted the events leading up to the crash. He said he was driving the group from Boulder to Basalt to visit a friend.

He said his wife was in the back seat with their son and, as he went to turn the radio on, she asked him to leave it off so she could sleep. He complied but said he started feeling drowsy himself, even as he talked to his friend in the passenger seat. He said the next thing he knew, he was hanging from his seatbelt in an upside-down car with people outside the vehicle screaming.

Arjana said it wasn't until he had been treated and asked about his wife at the hospital that doctors told him she was going to die as a result of her injuries.

He became emotional when he described going into her hospital room to see her one last time.

"It was just so many tubes in her mouth," he said. "They were trying to save her as hard as they could."

Arjana -- who works on the catering staff at the St. Julien Hotel and also as a custodian at Boulder Community Hospital's Mapleton Center -- said he and he wife met in 1995 in his native Indonesia. He described her as a warm, caring person with an unfailingly optimistic outlook on life.

"Oh my God, she was the friendliest person you could meet," he said. "She can meet a stranger and in three minutes, become friends. She just had an open heart for everybody."

Arjana said his wife was a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Boulder and was also home-schooling their son.

With most of his family living in Indonesia, Arjana credited his in-laws and the Boulder community for supporting him in the aftermath of his wife's death. The tragedy left him with one piece of advice he wants to impart to all drivers.

"Please, if you're tired, you know, please pull over and take a rest," he said. "Please don't drive."

A memorial service for Nova Arjana will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Arjana family home, 3275 19th St.